Carved veneer for artificial teeth



March 18, 1930;

I c. MILLER CARVED VENEER FOR ARTIFICIAL TEETH Filed March 7, 1927 PM W F a 4% w. I M) by Patented Mar. 18, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENTHOFFICE 1 FREDERICK C. MILLER,

. CARVED VENEER FOR ARTIFICIAL TEETH Application fi led March 7,

My invention aims to facilitate the manu} facture of artificial toothed plates for the mouth by providing a veneer which will save considerable time andlabor and consequently reduce the cost of producing a plate.

It is the present'practice of a dentist to obtain an impression of the gums,palate, and those parts ofthe mouth contiguous to the location of teeth; so that a plate, hold- "ing artificial teeth may be produced and comfortably used'in the mouth. After such an impression is obtained by a dentist using plaster Paris or a composition which will readily conform to the mouth and then set 'or'harden, such embryo form is ordinarily placed in the hands of a mechanical dentist who produces a finished plate holding artificial teeth. For the production of such a plate a wax or composite pattern is made in v i which the artificial teeth are set. The mounting of the teeth in the pattern is an operation requiring considerable precision, particularly the trimming of the pattern about necks of the teeth or places where the teeth "adjoin the pattern. The workman must be somewhat of a sculptorto carve the pattern and imitate as near as possible the appearance of a natural gum adjoining the teeth, for it is from this pattern that a plate is produced. The trimming and carving of the pattern about the teeth requires considerable time and labor and I have discovered that this operation may be minimized by using a prepared veneer in connection with the pattern. The prepared veneer is made from a strip of wax or other pliable material and the edge of the strip is scalloped festooned crenated notched or otherwise formed so that it may be easily and quickly fitted on a pattern about the artificial teeth. at the juncture of the teeth with the pattern. The configuration of the veneer is such that its festooned edge will approximately fit a set of artificial teeth with the result that after the veneer is in place a workman may need to only retouch the veneer to complete the appearance of teeth naturally joining a gum. In some instances it may be only necessary to press 7 the veneer into place, because the shape of the teeth being known it is possible to pro- 1927. Serial No. 173,434.

duce' dies, rolls and other instrumentalities by Which the festooned edge of the veneer,

, At the most it may be only necessaryto do a little trimming here and there and it is by virtue of this veneer that the tedious and laborious task of carving a pattern is practically eliminated.

It is believed that my invention will be better understood when describing the drawing, wherein Figure 1 is a plan view of a blank from i which the veneer may be produced;

Fig. 2 is an end view of the" same; Fig. 3 is a plan of the veneer produced from the blank;

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view a pattern plate before having a veneer mounted thereon;

Fig. 5 is a front elevation of the pattern";

with the veneer applied thereto;

Fig. 6 is a top plan of the same;

Fig. 7 is a longitudinal sectional vi'ewijof 1 the pattern with the veneer thereon j Fig. 8 is a sectional view of .amold pre pared about the pattern, and

3 Fig. 9 is a similar view cram mold from I removed and the.

which the pattern has been plate formed inthe mold.

or DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR on ONE-HALF 'ro WILLIAM H."WARREN, or DETROIT, MICHIGAN As set forth in the beginning a pattern is produced holding artificial teeth and in Figs.

4 to 8 inclusive the pattern is designated 1. This pattern is made of wax'or other composite material that may be readily molded or shaped and in the pattern, is'anchored artificial teeth 2. 'Pins 3, posts or other devices may be utilized for this purpose. In producing this pattern the front or gum Wall 4 thereof is set back sufficiently to accommodatea veneer 5 which may besuitably mounted on the wall 4 to form a facing there on, as shown in Fig. 6.

Reference will now be had to Figs. 1, to 3 inclusive and 6 designates a fiat thin blank of wax or other pliable material which may be molded,'rolled or otherwise worked in the formation of a scalloped edge 7 havingthe configuration or outline of the teeth Qat their juncture with "the wall 4. When'cut" 40 A I ,Afteri the' production" of thesemoldpa'r ts,

' 'fting trimming or otherwise removing material from the blank 6 to form the scalloped veneer will"merge-into the outer faces of the teeth 2"and afiord a positive connection and or otherwise shaped so thatl the scalloped or V the undulating contour of theteeth 2 at their Veneer is made as perfect as possible so that driven die rolls or other instrumentalities and when made of proper material there maybe a saving by using the material again after i it has once served its purpose. From another standpoint, the veneercontributes to. a method of making toothed plates which method consists in producing 'an embryo patv tern; completing the formation 'of the pat seal with the teeth. Furthermore, the mate .ternby adding thereto a Veneer, and then rialof the;blank'borderingon the beveled in: producing a plate'for the veneer toothed -pat dentededge thereof may be embossed raisedtern. vThevg-zneer,as-an article of manufacture, facilitates the method of producing the jtooth'edplate. I! Since/there are materials that 'may enter into the veneer and final product,

and sincethere a-re many ways of producing the veneer, I do not. care tolimit my invene dge 7 ,the blank can be shaped to conform to the wall 4-and the scalloped edge 7 may have itsedge, at the scallops or indentures beveledQas at 8, so that the outer face of the festoonededge of the veneeriwill'conformto juncture with the wall lb-In other words, the

5' after it is mounted against. the Wall in. tion ther. than defined in' "the'appe properfrelation to] the teeth 2 there *wiltbe, claims. 7

' the veneer'in order that thef'relativelythin;

a sion of the pattern withlthe mold 'part 1O jsup' 7 'Jquickly made for the production offalplate. so,

little,if"any carving or trimmingito bedoneiWhatI claim is':' J I toT'ielfect a natural appearanceof the'veneer' relative to the teeth. I It may benece'ssaryto herean'd there retouch the festoonedhedgeof 1'; A'methodof produein xa which method: consists f. proyiding "afpat tern .having'teeth mounted therein, applying a pliable veneer to said"pattern]at fthe teeth thereof, forming an impression "offjsaid patterng tjeeth and veneer ina mold, removing the pattern and pouring into the impression.""

g a 2. IA method of producing 'afldental plate as called-for in clairn'l. which-method includes 1v an additional o eration-of rtouchi 1;; the 'du,

edges" and points off the veneer 'will,fitfbill tween-the teeth. Irrespective ofjhow' much retouchingis necessary, the labor and'accuracy'ordinarily required is reduced-to afmini mum-with the result that a..;pattern"jinay-2-be veneer adjacent the teeth, prior "to vingjdle plate Intestimony-whereof Iaflixmys g t -FREDERICK G. 'MILLER."

' In Fig. 8 I'show-separable' mold 'partsf and 10 containing the wax orcompositejpat- These mold :parts'iare'. fashioned about: the pattern toxobtainanim heat, the mold parts will retain the impresporting the teeth 2 -,-whic h protrudefintofthe mold "cavity 11.

a body of rubber 12 or other material is sab jected to pressure: andjvulcanized inlthe' mold cavity 11,, whereby a plate is producedhavin'gi the teeth 2 anchored therein,'as showninFiga 9. 'Th'e veneer hasimparteda,desired' eon Y figurationto the wall 18; of thexmom-part .19., 1

whereby the upstanding-gum ;wall-Qof -the plate will be anexactreplica of theveneer e ff which was'properly fashioned on the'pattern.,

I attach considerabl'e importance to theuna dulating s'urface adjacent the notchesrofthe -veneer, as I have attempted to show byfshad ing asxpossiblep V 'naturalgum in the majo rity of instances, showsteethlroots under. the. gum and 'the,

natural gum I provide the undulatingor irregular surface of the veneer, wherebythe. 1 plate with itsteeth will ing-on Figs. '8 and 5 of the drawing.

average. gum has an undulating; surface be cause of such roots. So in imitation of a dental plate; 

